The tack is making weird squeaking noises, loud enough to hear underway. I tightened and loosened the set screw and thumb adjuster but can't find a spot that works. When I pull off the cable the noise is gone - ie., it's not the cable.
Question. Before I send it out for rebuild (about $300 was the quote), ever tired lubricating the mechanism? I've had it apart a few times but only for the skipping/slipping mile counter. I don't actually know what they would do for the rebuild.
thanks
You can try lubricating the internal works. If it were my bike I would send it to a specialized shop for a re-working. I would also think about installing the KATDASH upgrade for the flimsy laminated circuit board for the indicator lights. Those are bound to fail sooner or later.
Another thing; If you send the instrument to Palo Alto Speedo, they will not honor their warranty if you can not provide evidence that you installed new cables for the tach and speedometer. A cable that is going bad will torture a tach or speedo, hastening their demise. If the internal braided core starts to fray, it creates a herky jerky rotation at the instrument input. I learned this all the hard way on my very own R75/5. Imagine riding home from neighboring state and the tach gets noisy and starts swinging wildly. There is nothing you can do except to watch it destroy itself.
former Airmarshal, IL.
• Jim is correct. The first thing to do is check out the drive cable and make sure it isn't broken or frayed. If it's OK, then a couple of drops of ATF won't hurt.
• You cannot use standard mineral-based oils on these instruments or the oil will soon oxidize and gum it up even worse. The tach needle should spin on Silicone watch oil. Any reduction gears or faster moving parts can be lubricated with synthetic grease, after old oxidized grease is removed.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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